CLA (University Language Centre) organizes Italian Language and Culture courses designed to help you improve your language skills and better integrate into Italian university and social life.
Who can participate in the courses?
The courses are open to various types of foreign students and staff, including:
- Erasmus students and students from other international exchange programs (e.g., Double Degree, Bilateral Agreements)
- PhD students, researchers, and visiting professors on mobility programs
- Foreign students regularly enrolled at the University of Trento
- Foreign students of the Conservatory of Trento and Riva
- External users of the University and employees of partner institutions.
What types of courses can I choose?
You can choose between different course formats based on your needs and on time:
- Extensive Courses: Two lessons per week (3 academic hours each), for a total of 50 hours. They are held during the periods October–December and March–May.
- Intensive Courses:
- In-person courses: twelve lessons (4 academic hours each) plus one 2-hour lesson, for a total of 50 hours. They take place in February.
- Online courses: 14 synchronous lessons, each 3 academic hours long, and the last lesson 90 actual minutes; 2 asynchronous activities, each 3 academic hours long. They take place in September and June.
- Intercomprehension and Interculturality Workshop among Romance Languages: A more specific course to develop these skills.
How is Italian L2 Taught?
The course uses multimodal channels to carry out reading, listening, writing, oral and online interaction, and grammar activities (audio, video, online exercises on educational applications such as Wordwall and H5P, slide presentations, online forums, interactive boards such as Padlet, etc.). The activities are designed to introduce communicative contexts, to observe and analyse the lexical and grammatical aspects of the language, and to practise communicative structures both orally and in writing.
Classroom activities are carried out both individually and in pairs or small groups, and students may use their own electronic devices (tablet, laptop or smartphone).
The teaching approach adopted is an integrated, action-oriented approach that places the student at the centre and promotes their autonomy in the process of acquiring and developing linguistic and communicative competences in Italian.
Interviews with students who attended CLA courses
Final Tests and Certificates
At the end of each course, there is a final test which does not result in a grade, but a pass/fail outcome ("idoneo/non idoneo").
- Minimum Attendance: To take the test, you must have attended at least 75% of the lessons. This means a maximum of 4 absences for extensive courses and 3 absences for intensive courses.
- For incoming students (Erasmus, etc.):
- CLA does not issue a paper certificate for passing the course, but the result is recorded in your "Transcript of Records" if the course was included in your Learning Agreement.
- Grade Attestation: You can, however, ask your teacher directly, before the end of the course, for an attestation with the grade out of thirty (voto in trentesimi) which will then be sent to you via email upon request.
OPEN DIGITAL BADGE
If you reach level A2 of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) after attending and passing an Italian course (level A2 or A2b), you can obtain an Open Digital Badge, a recognized digital certificate.
More information on ODBs here: What is an ODB?